Master Cpl. Martin Brayman was an Aerospace Control Operator with the Canadian Armed Forces who died on Monday after being injured in an assault the day before.Department of National Defence - supplied

A suspect from Tallahassee has been arrested over the death of a NORAD aerospace control operator, who died on Monday after being assaulted in Florida the day before.

In an email, a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence told the National Post that Master Cpl. Martin Liam Brayman, 33, died Monday in Panama City from injuries sustained in an attack the previous night. The spokesperson confirmed his death was not related to his role with the Canadian Armed Forces.

On Wednesday, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office sent an outline of alleged events to the National Post.

Police say a group of individuals had travelled in a white Mercedes to Panama City Beach on Saturday evening. While at a nightclub they met and talked with Brayman, who invited them to his home on Beach Drive, Panama City Beach. Police say when they arrived, Brayman’s girlfriend and roommate became uncomfortable with the new group and asked them to leave. Brayman reportedly apologized, and told the group they would get together later.

Once the group left, police say, they realized they did not have any contact information from Brayman, prompting them to return to the home to speak to him.

According to witnesses, as the driver of the white Mercedes stood outside the vehicle and got Brayman’s contact information, Justin Timmons, 23, one of the passengers, seemed to grow agitated as he waited in the car. He got out of the vehicle, walked up to Brayman and allegedly struck him in the head multiple times, knocking him to the ground.

A mugshot of Justin Timmons, he’s wanted on an open count of murder.Leon County Sheriff's Office - supplied

The group then drove away in the Mercedes, and police say Brayman’s girlfriend and roommate had watched the full scene unfold from inside the home.

Officers and first responders soon arrived and Brayman was taken to a hospital, but the blows he received to the head had caused an injury that was serious enough to kill — he died on Monday at approximately 9:40 p.m.

When police learned the group, Timmons included, lived in other areas of the Panhandle, investigators travelled to other counties and cities to conduct interviews.

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office later obtained a warrant on an open count of murder for Timmons. He was arrested on Sept. 10 in Leon County, Fla. He is currently jailed.

“The state attorney’s office and will review the case to determine if there will be another charge or a more specific charge,” said Ruth Corley, a BSCO public information officer in a phone interview with the National Post. “We’re waiting on the autopsy results for more details.”

She added that none of the other group members face charges at this time, noting that they were surprised when Timmons allegedly struck Brayman.

“His next of kin have been notified and the CAF continues to support them during this difficult time. Our deepest sympathies are with his family and friends,” the Department of National Defence wrote of the victim.

Brayman was an aerospace control operator with the CAF, who was assigned to Tyndall’s aerospace defence command detachment this year.

He joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2006. He served in Operation ARTEMIS, a CAF mission to help stop terrorism and make Middle Eastern waters more secure, from April 2008 to December 2008. He also served on Operation CALUMET, a peacekeeping mission in the Sinai Peninsula between October 2017 and March 2018.